Ignition apparatus for starting internal-combustion engines.



G. UNTERBERG.

IGNITION APPARATUS POR STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION NNGTNES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-.26.1912

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

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GUSTAV UNTERBERG, OF DURLACH, GERMANY.

IGA-NTION APPARATUS FOR STARTING IN TERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. V/ Patented lVIar. 23, 1915-".

Application led March 26, 1912. Serial No. 686,2?2.

To all'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GUSTAV UNTERBERG, engineer, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Durlach, inthe Grand Duchy of y. Baden; Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Apparatus for Starting Internal-Combustion Engines, of which thefollowing is a specifica tion.

Various auxiliary devices are already known for driving the armature ofa magneto electric ignition apparatus while the engine is stationary under compression, so as to produce a'spark in the gas mixture in thecylinder;V These have comprised a tension cord or rod extending to the drivers seat andfserving to tension an armature driving device which is then suddenly released so that the armature is driven at the necessary speed in the magnetic field. These devices, however, have notbecome established on the market because on the one hand thel rough 'handling to which the driving rod is unavoidably subjected in use leads to continual repairs, and on the other hand the provision of a carefully arranged remote drive extending .to the drivers seat is a source of great advantage especially in vehicles. According to this invention such a remote -drive is obviated by the insertion of a spring device between the armature and theipart which drives it, (the two being relatively movable)':, which is tensioned as the moving parts come to a standstill when the engine is putont of action by the rotation `oflthe member' which drives the armature.

the armature itself being held still by the action of a speed measuring device. The

tension is maintained by a locking device which comes into action after a determined amount of relative rotation, the speed measuring device which holds the armature stationary being put out of action at the same instant. A spark can then be produced, when it is desired tol start the engine, in the cylinder under compression, by release ofl this locking-device.

The speed measuring device for holding the armature stationary advantageously consists of a :ball subjected to centrifu al force, such as is employed in known driving devices comprising two clutch parts of which one connected to the driving shaft is held still at 'slow speeds of the engine by the engagement of the ballbetween and a. projection on a casing so that it may snap forward at the instant of sparking, while ait high speeds the locking device is automatiA-r cally released or put out of action in conse quence of the outward movement of the ball.v

Inthe construction according to the invention a control cord is only required to enable the locking device to bewithdrawn by the driver and this does not needcareful erection or arrangement such as is necessary 1n a device which has to transmit the power required to tension the ldriving spring, and

in which, in particular, regard must be had to the necessity of allowing the device tored turn rapidly to its initial position when thr' armature snaps forward. l

The accompanying drawings illustrate ne formof construction according to the'-in"ven' tion; Figure l showing the auxiliary drive together with the-ordinary means for driving the ignition apparatus; Fig. 2 a front vlew of the ignition apparatus; Fig. Bis a' section on areduced scale taken on'the'lin'e 3*3, Fig. l, and looking in the directiorr'of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a'se'ction on a reduced sc ale taken on the line 3-3, Fig.- l, andlook ing in the opposite-direction from Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 the controlling deviceat the drivers seat.

a is the end of the armature' shaft.v On.

this is keyed the clutch member d to which is attached one end of the spring e whiclfserves to drive the armature. The other end of thespring is fastened in suitable fashion to the second clutch member c which is rota-.4

tably mounted on shaft a and carries' the' cone b through which the drive for the arma-l 5 ture is transmitted.- The two clutch meinbers cl and c are connected together not only by spring e but `also by a projection engaging .m a s uiliciently long slot z', as shown 1n' Figs. 3 and 1i, so that the turning moment Aapplied to cone b is transmitteddirectlyto shaft aandgthe armature. The device dependent onl thespeed of the ignition appa ratus'for holding the armature stationary consists of the ball t guided in a radial slot s in the clutch member d; this is moved by centrifugal force outward to the end of the slot when the armature is rotating quickly, but when the speed falls gradually through the engine being put out of' action, it returns to the inner end and so comes against the projection f on the casing, which the member d can rotate past because of the annular ineens? slot g By this means the armature is held stationary and the parts of the engme still in rotation now turn the clutch member o relatively to the clutch member d so tensioning thespring, until the pm 7c mounted m the member c snaps under the pressure of the spring m into the recess Z in the member d. Obviously the slot z' must be long enough for the parts d and c to turn to this extent (as shownniore clearly in Figs. 3 and 4).

A. recess '7' is provided in member c which comes opposite the slot s in member d. when the pin c enters the recess Z, i. e. when the spring eis tensioned. Consequently as soon as any pressure is exerted by the clutch members which are held together by pin k, the ball h will move into the recess r until the s lot 'S and the recess lL move away from each other, after which the pressure of the two members C and D will again force the ball back into the slot S, but at such a time when the projection F on thecasing will have passed beyond the point where it can catch the -ball andlock the memberl) to the casing and thus the armature will Abe `left,

free to rotate..

is nothing special lin the construction shown f for the sake of completeness in Fig. 5.

The operation of the device is as follows When the'motor is rotating the hall .72. lies at the upper end of the slot s, so that the clutch parts d Iand c transmit the drive from the engine tothe ignition device through their engagement by the pin and sloti and of the spring e. As soon as the engine is put out of action and its speed has diminished in consequence, the ball it moves inward as indicated in Figs. l and 3 and becomes clamped in the slot s against the projection f, so that the clutch member Z is held stationary with the armature While the clutch member c moves on under the inertiaof the moving masses until the pin k upon 1t springs into the recess Z in the .member d. In this position the slot s of the clutch member d' is 'opposite the recess r in the member c so that as the rotating masses press the two members farther the ball is forced into the recess r this movingvbeing facilitated by the sloping surface ofthe projection 7 on the casing. The parts d and c thus connected by the pin 7c now continue rotating together yuntil the'en'g'fin4 comes toast-andstill. If now the engine vis togbe started again all-that is necessary is to pull the controlling cord so as to withdraw the pin 7c from the recess l. By this means the clutch member d with the armature is thrown forward by spring e rela-e tively to the member c which is held stationary with the stationary engine uiitil the pin engaging lin slot i reaches its end. By this means an igniting spark is produced in the cylinder under compression.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new'and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States is:

1. jln an electromagnetic ignition apparatus, the combination of an armature and a driving member, a spring arranged between the armature and its driving member and connected therewith; and a device moving under centrifugal force adapted to lock the armature to the casing when said deviceis in innermostl position but to leave it' free at high speeds; with a spring pressed@` pin on the driving member adapted to lock same to` the armature after a certain relative rotation, said drivingmember having aslot to 0 -this rotation has occurred. In front ofthe part carrying thepinfla 1s 2. In a magneto electric ignition ,apparatus, the combination with a casing, of a dnving member and a driven member having a radial slot, a device in said slot adaptedftb x lock said driven member to the casingwhen in its innermost position, means for placing I the driving member under torque .with relation to the driven member, and means carried by the driving member adaptedto interlock with the driven member and to be l1nlocked therefrom. f

3. In a magneto electric ignition appara-.-

tus, the combination with a casing, of a driving member and a driven member having a radial slot, a ball in said slot adapted to lock said driven member to the casing when in its innermostlposition, a spring tween said driven and driving members adapted to lace -1 them under torque will relation to each other and means carried by'. the driving membler adapted to interlock with the driven memberand to be unlocked therefrom. y r

4. In a magneto electric ignition-apparatus, the combination with a casing, of a driv` -place them under ,torque with relation .to

eachother, and a spring-pressed pin cal"- ried bythe driving member and adapted to interlock with said driven member to be unlocked therefrom. v '1 .5. In a magneto electric'ignition appara.

tus, the v.combination with aI casing, of a driven member having a circumferential slot a. drlving memberhaving a lug. there:

Aing member and a driven member having a.

n engagngsaid slot, a second radial slot in said driven member, a device in said sion. adapted to interloc with a lug on said casing, a spring between sad driven and driving members adapted to place said members under torque when said driven member 1s locked to said casing, and' means carried lbvsaid driving member adapted to interlock with said driven "member after a eer- In testimony whereof` I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses;

GUSTAV UNTERBERG.

Witnesses:

FRIEDRICH CARL WENTzEL, MAX HERMANN HPPNER.

Copies ofvthis patent may ne obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Intuit,

s Washington, D. C.` 

